Ignorance is Bliss
by Obsessivebookdiva
Summary: Someone at Wally's school notices some of his weird actions during the school day. She is determined to solve the mysterious case of Wally West. Will she find out Wally's secret, or will she find out something that many people don't know about him?
1. Chapter 1

AN: So this is sort of my first Young Justice Story. This was a story idea posted by Silverangel83 on the Young Justice Fanfiction Challenges forum. Wally always was my favorite character for some reason. I also like Robin and his awesome laugh! Impulse is crash! I'm a late comer to the series sadly, so I might have to rewatch the series :D.

Beta: I have Greendogg rereading this for me!

Announcement: I'm making this a one-shot for now, but If you want more just tell me. I might be able to add to this.

Peace and all that stuff,

Lizzy (Obsessivebookdiva)

* * *

Miss Lewis, who preferred to be called Miss May, is one of the councilors at Central City high school. She claimed to be the best of the best when it came to teenagers. She loved working with the different types of teens and helping them. It's one of her many passions since she herself was a high school student. She continued her goal and along the way, earned a degree in education and psychology. If anyone knew what she was doing, it was her.

She always kept a sharp eye on the students around her. As she did, she couldn't help but notice a certain teen's actions in class. Wally West, a sophomore with a mind for science, caught her highly educated eye. He looked like a typical boy genius. He was brilliant, but lacked in maturity. He seemed to have an excessive habit of being jumpy and impulsive at times.

Now she was curious about this particular red-head. Why was he so active all the time? Her first thought was that he was a very excited person. After she scanned over his profile, she knew this wasn't the case. That's when she started thinking like a counselor. The way he acted brought up many red flags to her.

For one thing, he consumed way too much food for his certain body type. He wasn't too skinny nor was he fat, putting him in the lower healthy range. Everyday, he would eat at least two lunches causing the lunch ladies to smile. The only option is that he had some sort of eating disorder. He could be bulimic, but that would mean that he was throwing up his food. Just looking at him she could tell that it wasn't the case. People who were purging after they ate always suffered an after affect. It could be many different reasons. It could be low self-esteem, illness, or something else. With such a wide range of possibilities it was hard for her to be sure. Though eating disorders were more common in girls, boys still had them. She added eating disorder to her list.

Another weird thing about Wally was that he never seemed to be around any friends. At lunch he always sat by himself in the farthest corner in the lunch room. She wasn't sure if this was by choice or not, but likely it was his choice. Once when a student came over to sit with him he slowly moved over showing signs of discomfort. That was the last time the poor kid tried to sit there with Wally.

To find out more she had interviewed all four of his teachers and found something strange. His English teacher had informed her that he preferred to work "solo" and none of his other teachers disagreed. His algebra teacher added that whenever he was asked to do group work he'd freeze up. He did seem to avoid eating, speaking with many people, working in a group, and generally being with other people. This proved he either had social anxiety disorder or social phobia. This would explain his excessive tardiness at school.

Next thing was his nonstop movement in class. It starts off as his foot tapping but progresses to a leg twitch. His body was always moving, and his brain seems to as well. He has earned some of the highest grades at this school, but never really focusing in class. He was either teaching himself at home, or was just a genius in general. With this in mind she was thinking he might have ADHD.

Gathering all the material she would need on Wally, she read over his file. From what Miss May could see this had started between his fifth and sixth grade years. Though, his social anxiety didn't seem to start there but at the age of eight. This made her curious. What had happened? What changed in those 4 short years?

Miss May decided to call Wally's old earth science teacher. It took two minutes for her to pick up the phone. "Mrs. Robin speaking, how may I help you?"

"Hello Mrs. Robin, I had a few questions about an old student of yours. Wally West? I'm his school counselor at the high school." She told the women.

"I haven't had him in my class in three years! I'm sure you know I can't say anything confidential, but I'm sure you can get those answers yourself." Mrs. Robin informed her.

"Of course! I was wondering what Wally was like while you had him in your class."

"Oh he was a real sweet heart! He always did his homework, but the poor dear was always exhausted. He would fall asleep in some of my more boring lectures, but would always past the tests. Maybe sleeping through them he absorbed the knowledge in his sleep. He would always tell me good morning whenever he came into class. He seemed to prefer the desk in front of mine. Poor boy, probably had the kids after him." Mrs. Robin said sadly. "I wish I could have done more for him."

"What do you mean by that?" Miss Lewis asked her.

"Oh dear, you didn't know? He had an accident around that time. He was struck by lightning. Poor kid was stuck in the hospital for a long while. After the accident he wasn't ever really the same Wally. He was quieter than before, always jumpy whenever a classmate accidentally moved his desk in the slightest. He seemed to act like he might get struck again." Mrs. Robin sighed.

"He was struck by lightning? That wasn't in his files." Miss May muttered under his breath. "Did Wally have any friends at the time? Anyone he would hang out with that you noticed?"

"Not really. He liked being alone from what I could tell."

"So he wouldn't talk about anyone with you? Anyone he might be close to?" Miss May inquired.

"Well there was someone, but it wasn't a student." Mrs. Robin told her. "His uncle would come by the school and drop of his lunch every now and then. He would also sometimes pick Wally up from school early. Wally would always be so excited to see him. I had talked to his uncle and asked why he would pick him up and found out why. Since Wally would get such great grades he would take him out for ice cream. It was ones one of the sweetest things. Wally absolutely loved him!" Mrs. Robin laughed. "It was one of the cutest things a seventh grader could do!"

"Did you ever talk with his parents?"

"Absolutely! They were very proud of Wally. They were both very busy, but always made time to make Wally feel special. "Mrs. Robin informed her. "They were very kind polite people. You don't meet people like that now a day do you? They are all on their cell phones texting."

"So, what was the relationship Wally had with his other teachers? Did he act the same way he did in your class?" Miss May asked.

"From what I heard from Mr. Williams he was the same. He would sit in the closest desk to his as he could. He would never raise his hand and avoided any attention he could get. It's such a shame such a bright mind would hide himself like that. It's like he hated the fact that he was smarter than the other students. Thankfulluy, Mr. Williams understood and didn't force anything on him, but it was still very sad. Avoiding such a gift is always a depressing thing." Mrs. Robin lectured.

"I fully agree, but did you ever find that Wally was difficult to work with? Was there anything in particular that made him pop into your attention?"

"Wally was a bit on the difficult side, but nothing too different from the other students in my classes. He always turned in his work on time, but it had some odd sketches of a lightning bolt on it. I thought it could have something to do with his accident, but I could never be sure. He caught my attention because of the way he acted in class. Usually the smart kids in my class were constantly gloating, but he as you probably know, didn't. I wish he would've." Mrs. Robin said. "I recommended him for National Junior Honors Society you know."

Miss May paused in shock. "That wasn't in his file either."

"It wouldn't be. He never wanted to get in. His parents helped him fill out the application form, but he wanted to keep it private. I pretty much had to force him to go to the induction ceremony. He didn't even tell his family, but I did. They sat in the back of the auditorium and watched. Wally was very surprised to see that they showed up. He had thought since he hadn't told him that they wouldn't show." Mrs. Robin explained.

"The why wasn't it in the file?"

"Nothing from past schools really gets transfered. The principle sees it, and then it's destroyed. Only the very important things are kept. How long have you worked in this school system?" Mrs. Robin asked.

"I'm fairly new to this district."

"That explains it! Anyway, why have you called? Is Wally causing too much trouble?"

'We have the exact opposite problem to tell you the truth. He doesn't do anything he isn't supposed to. He's a great student, but I'm worried about him." Miss May admits.

"You and me both. I haven't seen him in years and I can still remember how he used to look so sad when he sat alone. I only remember a few students like Wally and I'm worried for all of them. Maybe you should call his uncle, I'm sure he would want to know of any of your findings." Mrs. Robin informed her. "That man treats him like he's his own son instead of his nephew."

"Thank you for answering my questions Mrs. Robin. Call me if you would like to share anything else." She said.

After she hung up the phone she looked into Wally's file. She felt the need to call this Barry Allen, but she had follow school regulations. She dialed Wally's mother's phone, but received no answer. She got the same result from her husband's phone and their home phone. She looked back into his file to see that Barry and Iris Allen were listed as emergency contacts. Now, she could call them.

She dialed the number within two seconds and waited four beeps for someone to pick up "Hello, Allen residence. Barry Allen speaking."

She paused. "Hello Mr. Allen, I'm Miss Lewis. I am Wally's councilor at the high school. I was wondering if you had a few minutes to speak with me about your nephew.'

There was silence over the phone line for a minute. "Is he ok?" Mr. Allen's worried tone stretched over the line.

She blushed. "Yes, of course, I was just curious about a few things." There was a sigh over the line. "Are you aware that your nephew might have a social anxiety disorder?"

"Where is this coming from?"

"I have been worried about Wally since the beginning of the semester. He has strange eating habits, social phobias, and his teachers think he has ADHD. Were you aware of this Mr. Allen?" Miss May asked.

"No, I was not. I thought Wally was doing great in school. I don't understand where all this could have come from. No other school staff members have ever said anything before."

"I'd like to meet with Wally, could you ask his parents if I could have permission to?" Miss May asked.

"Well sure, I'll speak with them after I pick Wally up from school." Barry Allen told. "Good talking with you."

"You as well."

Barry Allen hung up his home line and sat on the couch. "What was that about Barry?" Iris Allan asked from the kitchen.

"I just got an interesting call from Wally's school."


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hi guys! Sorry it took awhile for me to write this, but sadly, I have a lot of work. I hope you like this and feel free to tell me if you want more. If anyone wants to help Beta this story please tell me in the comment section.**

**Reviews: I can't believe how many of you wrote reviews. To tell you the truth I thought one or two people would like this. Thank you for your support and continue to tell me how I'm doing. (^_^)**

**Beta: Hello! FairyTail757 here! Thank you for reading my friend's story.  
This is my first time editing a story so please, no hate comments. Enjoy!  
o(^▽^)o **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice.**

* * *

"If x equals 2y + 5, then what does y equal in the equation?" Mrs. Ryan asked gliding around the classroom. Her light brown hair was pulled up in a pony tail. Her golden eyes stared into each of her students. She looked like she was scanning for her next victim. Then, Her eyes landed on a particular student. "Wally, would you kindly tell us the answer? I assume since you have an A in this class you would be able to."

Wally sunk deep into his chair. He balled his fists underneath his long sleeved shirt. His fingers closed up in the fabric so there was no exit for his hand. He knew exactly why Mrs. Ryan had called on him. The teacher had caught him asleep only fifteen minutes ago, and now she was taking revenge. Even though he knew the answer, he couldn't say it. He felt like his throat was closing up, His ears started to hear a distant ringing, His mouth felt swollen and dry, and his mind seemed to have froze. He was panicking.

"We're waiting Mr. West. Do tell us what y is." Mrs. Ryan sassed in a low tone voice. Crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Wally looked down at his worksheet. He could see doodles and answers all over the paper. It started to all mesh into one blob on his paper. He had already solved the problem she was asking about. Then, He saw the answer x + 4 rise out of the chaotic storm on his paper. He looked up to see his teacher glaring at him. He gulped before he said anything.

"Um…."

"We're waiting Wallace." Mrs. Ryan said tapping her foot in an impatient manner.

He froze. No one called him Wallace unless he was in trouble. His full name didn't mean his parents were angry, but it was a warning that they would become so. It usually meant he needed to stop whatever stupid thing he was doing before he got in worse trouble. Now coming from his teacher's mouth it meant he was annoying her. He began tapping his pencil against the desk to try to make the anxiety go away. He looked at the guy sitting next to him, who was smiling at him, and begged for help. The guy just laughed in his face.

"Stop stalling Wallace!"

He flinched. He wondered why he couldn't just say x + 4. It was only three words, yet they were pulling him down. He thought maybe he was getting nervous, but he knew he double checked the problem. He was just randomly worrying for no reason.

Before he could completely embarrass himself the loud speaker spoke, "Wally West to the guidance office please."

Mrs. Ryan's scowl deepened. "Go Wally."

Picking up his things and stuffing them into his backpack, Wally charged out the door. He wasn't focused on why he was called down because he was way too happy to be out of there. Mrs. Ryan was about to turn him into a dish of humiliation! And at this time he didn't need that. He was lucky enough that none of the others from the team went here. They would see a totally different side to Wally, and that was his secret. Artemis had her family, Dick his identity, Megan her true form, Aqualad his father, and Conner his own secrets. If they came to Central City High they'd find out about that confident Wally was just chewed out by his teacher. Not something he wanted them to learn yet.

Now that Wally had time to think about it, why was he going to the guidance office? The last time he was called down some jock had accused him of stealing his girlfriend. It was Frank Mason, captain of every sport you can think of, and he was mad at Wally for running into him in the hallway. So the counselor had to give him the talk, and not "The Talk", but the dating talk. She told him that taking other people's girlfriends was wrong. Wally continuously told her that this never happened, but she wouldn't listen to him. She obviously believed Frank's word over his. She decided spending forty minutes talking about how her ex cheated on her with her best friend would make Wally feel bad. They had spent an hour in her office before she allowed him to leave. That was something he never wanted to relive ever again.

He walked down the hallways that lead to his new councilor office. The school had employed a new councilor due to the actions of Wally's old one. He was hoping that she wasn't going to end just like the last one. He really didn't need to know about her love life. He knew her name was "Miss May", or so she wanted to be called, and that she was new to the school district. How did he know this? When you have friends to hang out with you learn some things. He also knew that one of the lunch ladies had a daughter in his grade.

He turned the last corner into the office area, And then took another right which reveled a door. On the door there was a label marked, "Miss May" in bold capital letters. Her door, as he notice was decorated with smiley faces and posters. One poster read : "Say no to drugs!"And another one read: "Don't drink and drive." Both had images to match their themes. Wally smirked, were all councilors the same?

He knocked on the door twice and waited. It then opened to revel Miss May. She was a tiny blond woman. She couldn't have weighed more than a hundred pounds. She was way shorter than Wally, maybe around 5"1'? Her eyes were a bright blue and after seeing him a massive smile developed on her face. "Hello Wally, please come inside."

He nodded and stepped inside. Sitting in two chairs were his uncle and aunt. Wally looked around the small office. There was a desk with a green lamp on it. And behind the desk sat a swivel chair and a big window. Two bookshelves were on either side of the room, and both were filled with books. After throughly scanning the room he saw an extra seat placed next to his aunt waiting for him.

"Please, sit."

Wally sat down slowly. "So, what did I do this time?"

Barry cleared his throat. "We got a call a couple of hours ago from Miss Lewis. She had some very interesting ideas about what's going on up there." He tapped his pointer finger on his head. "And I wanted to know these thoughts."

Wally was surprised. He thought he'd come here for other reason, but not THAT reason. Did they think he was going insane under the pressure? Did Barry think his hero duties were becoming too much for his daily life? Did Miss Lewis find out about him being Kid Flash?

"See Wally I've been watching you for the past couple weeks…" Miss May started. Well that isn't creepy at all! "… And there are a few things I have noticed about you. Can you tell me exactly what I might have seen?"

Wally gulped. "I'm guessing you saw me doing regular things? I'm not exactly the most interesting person in the world. I'm sure it was pretty boring for you."

Miss May sighed. "I knew you wouldn't admit anything. Now Wally would you care to explain what your teachers have said about you? The fact that you have a habit of falling asleep in class. How about the way you act toward the other students in your classes?" Miss May said pulling out a file. "I recently called your former teacher Mrs. Robin, and she seemed to be really worried about you Wally. She mentioned that you were pretty distant back then as well."

Wally froze. She called Mrs. Robin? "So? I'm not exactly social, that doesn't mean there's something wrong with me!"

Miss May closed her eyes for a minute. "Wally, Mrs. Robin told me that you didn't have any friends in your class. She noticed that you'd always sit close to her and flinch every time a classmate would walk past your desk. That isn't exactly regular behavior Wally." Miss May. "I'm just worried that due to whatever happened, you might have gained Social Anxiety Disorder."

Barry spoke up. "How exactly can someone get Social Anxiety Disorder?"

Miss May gave him a look. "Social anxiety disorder isn't a virus Mr. Allen. It's not something you can catch from someone sneezing. No, this is a serious problem for many people. Most parents who find out their child has Social Anxiety Disorder usually doesn't notice it till after they have grown. It can be mistaken as children beginning to learn how to work within the social system. To answer your question Mr. Allen Social Anxiety Disorder can be formed for many different reasons. It can cause everyday tasks, such as going to school, to become an overbearing task. Severe cases can make someone feel that getting up is a hard task. It makes you want to isolate yourself from others so you are not judged by them. They fear being criticized by others and having to interact with strangers."

"What exactly do you think caused Wally's anxiety?" Aunt Iris asked.

Wally stood up. "Stop talking like I'm not standing right here!" Everyone turned to look at him shocked. He felt himself turn red. "You know what, I'm leaving!"

Wally ran out of the office and out the school front door. He couldn't deal with all this all at once. He didn't know what they were talking about. He just didn't get along with all the other kids. At least that's what he used to think. Was Miss May right?

* * *

Barry Allen didn't know what to think. His nephew looked like he was in so much pain when Miss May started talking about Social Anxiety Disorder. His eyes were full of fear and shock like he only just thought what he was doing might be wrong. Wally was hiding something from them and maybe even himself.

"Would you like to continue our discussion without Wally?" Miss Lewis asked.

Iris nodded. "You're not going to get him back here anytime soon. "

"Well, Wally's social isolation wasn't the only thing I noticed. It seems to me your nephew eats more food then he's supposed to. He eats around two to three meals at each lunch. Yet somehow he has a close to healthy figure. Do you have any idea how this might be?" Miss May asked Wally's aunt and uncle.

"What do you mean close to healthy weight?" Iris asked quickly. She knew exactly what she meant. Wally didn't always get enough food in him, and this made him look thin. Iris still didn't know how she could explain it.

"Well for his height and how much I have heard about his love for running, he shouldn't be that small. I don't know what to think about it. I don't want to call it something it's not, but does your nephew eat everything at home?" Miss May quietly asked.

"The last time I talked with Wally's dad, he told me Wally was doing great." Barry mumbled.

"I'll leave that issue to you to deal with. I'm not completely sure if he has this problem. I just wanted to caution you about it. Now, has your nephew ever been tested for ADHD?" Miss Lewis asked the suddenly.

"Why would you mention that?" Iris whispered.

"He doesn't concentrate in class well and has a hard time focusing on his work. His teacher has even mentioned that he has a constant habit of tapping a pencil on his desk. He always has to be moving. I am merely suggesting you get him tested. Please talk to his parents about it."

"Speaking of his parents, why are you here? Aren't the parent's supposed to come meet with the councilor? "We're just his aunt and uncle." Iris told her. "I'm sure my brother would have wanted to be here for this."

"To tell you the truth I wanted to speak with Barry." Iris raised her eyebrow. "Mrs. Robin claimed you and Wally had a close bond. I wanted to see you because you would be the person to notice these things." Miss Lewis admitted.

Wally ran home as soon as he had gotten off school grounds. He was confused. Was what he was thinking right or she right? Wally shook his head; he had worse problems to deal with like, Uncle Barry.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Sorry I haven't been able to update! I'm thinking since these chapters are so long (for me) that I need more time to write them. I plan to update every two to three weeks. That should give me enough time to write, type, edit, send it to a Beta, and publish it. Unless something happens this is my plan. This so far is my longest chapter ever created. I feel so proud!

Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice or Justin Beiber, nor do I want to own Justin Beiber. (Beta: lol)

Beta Statement: FairyTail757 here! Thanks for reading my brilliant friend/authors story. I hope you enjoy it! *:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*

* * *

Wally sat in the dark corner of his room. He tried to sink into the shadows like Robin did during missions, but sadly was nowhere near the younger teen's skill level. The best Wally could do was press his back as close to the wall as he could.

Wally's thoughts began to float around his head like clouds in the sky. The "thing" Miss Lewis was talking about, Social Anxiety Disorder, did he have it? Did he really act the way she described? Wally knew he only felt comfortable around his friends, but what she told them seemed extreme. It didn't feel like it disrupted his day-to-day life, heck he never even realized it was happening. He didn't know he distanced himself from people like that. He didn't act that way around the team, just at school. Besides, it's not like he skipped class when he felt uncomfortable. He was always at school, unless he was doing his Kid Flash duties.

Wally rubbed the back of his neck as he remembered his aunt and uncle's confusion and sadness written on their face. He felt like they pitted him, yet he didn't want them to pity him. He was the same Wally they loved. He hadn't changed, so why all this emotion and worry? He worked by himself at school, so what? Most of the students in his class couldn't keep up with him anyway. Why would he let them slow him down when he could do so much better?

He dipped his head back and felt it hit the wall behind him. He opened his eyes and stared at the pale ceiling fan above him. Man did he wish he was a fan right now. Fans just sat on ceilings all day long hanging. They never had to make any choices and Every so often someone might turn it on, but most of the time they were forgotten. In general, the life of a fan sounded pretty sweet.

Wally figured it was one a'clock and that he would have to go to training today. He was sure Uncle Barry wouldn't call the Justice league telling them he couldn't participate. That would just be stupid and pointless. His problems had been there since the beginning of time, so why pull him away from helping people?

Wally stood up and walked over to his closet. He opened the door and sifted through his clothing. Once he found his Kid Flash costume and put it on. He ran over to his alarm clock to find it was already three o'clock in the afternoon. If he didn't hurry he would be late for training with Black Canary. No way was he going to make that mistake again.

He heard a door slam downstairs. "Wally, are you still here?"

Wally sighed in relief, only his mother. "Yea mom, I'm up stairs getting ready."

He could hear his mother climbing up the stairs. "Ok, but hurry up dear. You don't want to be late for training again."

He cursed. "Yes mother I'm heading out right now." Wally left his room and went downstairs. "I'll be home by seven!"

* * *

"Kid Flash B-o3" The zeta tube speaker announced.

Wally ran in and turned into the training area. "I'm here! I'm on time!"

He looked up to see Batman glaring down at him. "Kid Flash" He heard the Dark Night say, "You're late."

Wally gulped loudly. "Sorry Batman, I had a personal matter with at home." He could hear Robin giggle at his formal language.

"I trust that the matter is solved?"

"Yes sir."

"As I was saying, The Light has set up a project in South Africa. It seems that they have started to build some sort of machine. But League hasn't been able to figure out what The Light has been planning. We're sending you to go investigate." Batman explained.

"What do you need for us to find?" Aqualad said.

"Everything you possibly can. We are not completely sure what The Light is up to, so anything you find will come in use." Batman answered the atlantian.

Wally wanted to cry for joy. He might be able to leave before his uncle found him. As much as Wally loved his uncle, Uncle Barry could be very overprotective. His uncle could even be more protective then Batman at times. No way would The Flash let his nephew go on a mission with the issues he was having, even if they'd been there for years.

"So when do we leave?" Wally asked trying not to sound eager. If they thought he wanted to leave, they'd ask why, and he wasn't up to answering their questions.

"Where's the fire Baywatch?" Artemis teased. "I'm sure we'll be leave soon. Besides, you're always in a rush. Why can't you slow down for a minute and enjoy the sunshine?

Wally wanted to growl. "I'm a speedster Artemis, not a slowpoke like you!"

"Well, look who forgot to take their medication this morning." Artemis laughed. "What's wrong with you this week?"

Wally winced. "I don't need medication Artemis! I'm perfectly normal, thank you!"

"If you're so normal Kid Idiot, then why do you eat three times the amount of food that regular people eat?" Artemis asked cocking her hip.

"Can we please start the mission now?" Aqualad asked. "We have much to do."

* * *

"We'll reach South Africa in five minutes" M'gann informed the group. Traveling in the bio ship, they were currently flying over the South Atlantic Ocean.

Wally sat in his seat quietly. Usually he'd be running his mouth, but today he was kept his lips sealed. As soon as Wally had entered the ship he had felt a shiver. His chest felt frozen around his heart almost like an icebox. Feeling it beating hard against his cold chest, He realized he was having a hard time breathing, though he wouldn't show it. His brain began shooting rapid ideas of what could go wrong. Tears began to form in his eyes. He looked down at his fingers as they shook. He couldn't handle this anymore. Was he having a panic attack?

Wally remembered his classmate, Karen, had panic attacks in the mid of class. She'd usually start sweating and go pale. She'd raise her hand and leave the room in a rush. Sometimes she would throw up on herself when it got bad. He didn't want to end up like that. Everyone at his school pushed her around and laughed at her. He couldn't become the laughingstock again.

"Um, Robin?" Wally asked quietly.

"Yea Wally?"

"What's the worst that could happen? I mean on the mission?" He stuttered. He'd never felt so hopeless.

"A meteor could fall from the sky and kill us all right now." Wally immediately paled even more. "Dude, the chances of that actually happening are very low. What's wrong with you anyway?" Robin asked staring at him.

"Nothings wrong with me!" Wally said a little too quickly.

"Sure, that didn't sound suspicious at all. Wally if you know anything about the mission…" Robin started.

"Nothing! I know nothing!" Everyone in the ship turned to look at him. "Don't look at me like that!"

M'gann's face softened. "Wally we weren't looking at you. We were just surprised." She gave Superboy a desperate look. "Are you ok?"

Wally's blood boiled. "Why is everyone asking me that? Do I look different to you?" Everyone went silent. "I didn't think so."

Wally then went back to panicking. How could he be so stupid? He could get himself killed doing something like this! He wasn't ready to die yet. He hadn't even graduated high school yet! Plus, how was he supposed to know that he wouldn't kill his friends by accident? He couldn't live with that on his shoulders!

Wally saw M'gann wince. "Are you sure you're ok Wally? I don't want you getting hurt."

"I said I was fine." Wally mumbled.

* * *

They landed in a strange warehouse district where the only thing for miles was buildings. It was seven o'clock on a school night, and Wally was exhausted. 'Guess I won't be home on time'

Wally yawned. "Let's finish this."

"Bipolar much?" Artemis sniped.

He got a weird look from Aqualad. "I thought you would be the last one to want to rush a mission."

"Well I don't want my uncle-"he stopped. "I mean, I don't want Savage or anyone to get the upper hand on us! Who knows what they're working on?"

"They'll probably take over the world." Robin shrugged.

"Not helping!"

"I believe that Kid Flash is correct. We need to focus on the mission. This one is covert, so we will need one person that can act as such. Miss Martian, Superboy, and I will be one group, and Kid Flash, Artemis, and Robin will be the other. Any questions?" Aqualad explained.

Wally looked up at Aqualad. He felt like a small child looking up at the big bad bully. He didn't know why, but he felt like he was back in second grade. "O-ok?"

After the whole team nodded, they split up. The team headed in their separate groups and walked in their assigned direction. Wally's group walked toward the east side of the warehouse, and Robin took lead and Wally and Artemis followed in pursuit. Wally tried to move slowly, but it was hard to. Once he'd gotten home he'd gone straight to his room. He'd stayed in there for over four hours before he left for training. Now that he was out, he wanted to run.

He turned to see Robin giving him a look of curiosity. Wally knew Robin could tell when he was antsy. Wally had known Dick for a couple of years, and he was the only one to know his secret identity. If they were girls they'd call each other BFF's.

Wally shook his head at him symbolizing that he was fine. Robin rolled his eyes back at him and went back to focusing on the mission. He was glad Robin had shaken off his weird actions, but he knew it wouldn't last long. Robin, being the partner of the world's greatest detective, had the ability to pick up on these things.

The three tip toed to the door and open it slowly. They looked in to see there were three separate hallways. Robin shook his head in frustration. "We're going to have to split up. I'll take the left side, Artemis can take the right, and Wally can go straight. If anything goes wrong just call out."

Wally nodded. He began down the dark passage he was ordered to go. Spider webs hung throughout the ceiling and dead rat carcasses littered the ground. Wally figured this was a very old warehouse, and that it was used for storage. No way would someone leave an active warehouse looking like this. It just wasn't done.

A minute later he heard a high pitched bang come from behind him, which was followed by a shuffling of feet. He turned to see a flash of red come from behind him. "Robin, thank god! I thought I was caught there." Wally heard a grunt. "That didn't sound like Rob."

A fist came out of the dark aimed for his face. "Nope, defiantly not Rob." Wally held back a yelp when a leg a came aiming to take down his feet. He quickly jumped over it and stepped back. His mind went into chaos when his eyes caught sight of a tazer. "This so isn't going to end well."

A slap noise was heard the moment Wally felt a sharp pain on his face. He looked up into the eyes of his attacker. His stone like eyes were glaring down at him. The corners of his mouth inclined into a smile. Wally put his forearm up to block the next punch heading his way. He swept the first away while his other hand balled into a fist. Using his super speed, Wally sped into the man's gut. He heard an agonizing crunch.

Howls could be heard all the way across the warehouse. The echo didn't help Wally's guilt. Had he just broken some guy's ribs? Did he really have that much power? Before he could answer those questions the world was turned upside down. His body hit the floor with a thud and an unpleasant feeling crept through his head.

"You really thought one punch could take me down kid? I was in Iraq for two years and was shot three times! No way is one puny punch going to take me down!" he laughed.

Wally winced. His one "puny punch" had been one of his hardest ones ever. There was no way he could take this guy on alone, so he decided to use his big mouth. "Huh, I sure wasn't trying. Want to find out how hard my real punched are?"

Laughing, the man came at him. "We'll see about that pathetic kid." With that said the man threw another punch. This forced Wally to jump back and leave his left side undefended. "You must be new at this, kid. How much training you got anyway?"

Wally flinched. "Enough to kick your ass!" Wally tried to sound confident, but his demeanor was falling. He was slowly crumbling into the child he was. "Besides, just because you can fight, doesn't mean you're fast enough."

The man easily saw Wally's punch coming and shifted. Wally stumbled forward before being kicked back. "You're kind of cute kid. You remind me of my child back home. "The man jumped up and kicked him in the chest. "The difference is he can fight..." he grabbed his arm and flipped him. "..And you can't."

Wally decided to just lay and let the beating happen. His ribs were bruised, his head was pounding, and his chest was freezing over again. He tried to get himself to breath, but nothing worked. The only thing that came out short gasps of air. He curled into himself and started chanting. "Please stop, please stop."

* * *

Robin knew something was wrong the minute he heard the chaotic screams over the mental link. He flinched and closed his eyes as it stopped.

"What was that?" Robin thought.

"I believe it sounds like the boy you call Justin Bieber." Aqualad stated obviously remembering when he listened to "Baby".

Superboy grunted. "Ow."

M'gann finally spoke. "That was Wally. Sorry guys, we've lost contact. Is he with you?"

Robin face palmed. "We separated. There were three hallways; we couldn't search them all together." Robin looked at this clove computer. "But I know where he is."

"And that would be where?" Artemis asked impatiently.

"He's on the same hallway he was going down five minutes ago." Robin sighed. "Please tell me he didn't slip on marbles again." Robin sighed.

"Robin and Artemis, double back to Kid Flash's location. Superboy, Miss Martian, and I will head to your location. We will find Wally, and then continue with our mission." Aqualad ordered.

"No," Robin said defiantly. "I'll find him. If he's in any serious trouble I'll call you guys here, but until then go through with the mission as planned."

There was silence. "I pray you know what you're doing."

Robin smiled "Of course I do, I'm the Boy Wonder. Stay whelmed!"

Robin turned around and headed back down the hallway he was working down. He was hoping to god that Wally wasn't doing something stupid. and if it was the blame was on him. Robin was done taking the credit for mistakes so Wally wouldn't be killed by Batman.

He winded down the hallway as he went through his thoughts. Wally was his best friend, besides Barbra of course, and he knew he could handle himself. But if he could, then what was going on? No way would Wally jeopardize a mission for comic relief!

He reached the end of his passageway, and turned onto Wally's He could see that Wally had been through here. He could see the remains of spider webs laid on the ground. There were foot prints; no there were more than one set! One looked the size of KF's and the other looked about size thirteen. Someone else had been down here.

Robin began to jog down the hallway looking for any signs of Wally. He still saw the foot prints, but didn't find any owners. The farther down the passage way he got, the more he could feel a dreading doom that was rising in his chest. His feet kept slapping against the flooring as he sped up.

At the end of the Hallway came a sound of mumbling and laughter. He could feel hear the desire in the laughter. It was nothing like the joker's, but more his henchmen. They always had the same giggle. It was always low pitched and was laced with the desire to inflict pain. The mumbling sounded like KF's panicked voice.

Robin reached them in no time. The henchman was kicking Wally repeatedly while KF was curled into a little ball muttering "Please stop" over and over again. Robin froze. No, this was Dick. Robin wasn't Wally's best friend, Dick was.

Anger bubbled over in Dick's brain. "Hey ugly!" he shouted. "Pick on someone your own size!"

The man turned and laughed. "My own size? You look like your eleven! I swear you kids want to grow up too fast!"

Dick grumbled. "I'm a teen, thank you very much! And I'm past your skill level."

"Try me kid."

Dick grabbed the bird-a-rang out of his pocket and threw it at the man. The man stepped to the side, but still had got nicked on his left shoulder. He took his finger and swiped the blood off his finger. "Nice shot kid, but you'll have to do better than that." He licked that blood off his finger.

Dick leaped into the air and nailed the man in the chest. The man shuffled back while Robin stepped forward. "Do better, huh? I'd say I'm doing a pretty good job at the moment."

The man frowned. "Sure, but what about your friend here? Is he good at the moment?" Robin looked to see the henchmen holding Wally by the neck. There were still faint cries coming from KF, but he was losing oxygen.

Suddenly the man twitched and fell to the ground. Behind the fallen henchman was Aqualad with his weapons out.

"What just happened?"


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Hola! So, it's been a few weeks huh? I guess I've got to update this huh? Well, I just did! Do know this comes from real life experience and research, so no disclaiming this. It has happened to at least one person on this planet. Sorry, but I don't have a Beta for this chapter.**

** Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice.**

* * *

The ride back to the mountain extremely uncomfortable for Wally. After Aqualad electrocuted the henchman, Wally had snapped out of his panic. He sat up slowly while staring at his best friend. Now all his teammates were keeping a close eye on him. Out of all of their glares, Robin's was the worst. If looks could kill, Robin would've killed him right there. Wally figured Robin had learned that move from Batman.

Wally sat in awkward silence as his teammate's watchful eyes followed him. He hoped they would get bored at some point and look away, but that didn't happen. Their icy stares continued to haunt his eyes, even when they weren't directly on him.

M'gann tried to break the ice. "I heard that Captain Marvel might be visiting sometime soon. Billy has been begging Batman to look after us again, and when that failed he begged Black Canary to come. She caved!" When she got no reaction she tried something else. "Zantanna might be visiting soon too!"

Robin perked up at this. "Her dad is letting her come?"

M'gann shook her head. "Of course not, Robin." He frowned. "She's going to try to sneak in!"

Artemis rolled her eyes. "Give it up Robin. No way can a magician in training sneak into a place practically guarded by Batman himself."

Wally looked at Robin. He knew his friend had a crush on the young magician. It was pretty obvious by the way he acted around her. Dick didn't seem to notice that the whole team could tell he liked her. His flirting was beyond obvious. Wally was pretty sure the whole world knew by now, so much for being the boy wonder.

"We'll be at the mountain in ten minutes." M'gann informed them as the mountain came into view. Wally could see the beach that was right outside their HQ, and he could also see a red blur. 'Too late for me to run now,' Wally thought. 'Maybe he thought I was in the mountain the whole time?'

The bioship dipped down toward the hanger. Wally gripped the seat as they descended toward the opening in the mountain. Wally bit down on his lip, an old habit he thought he'd stopped, and felt the blood came out. His anxiety started to form in his chest again; Uncle Barry was going to freak out!

Wally wondered why his anxiety issues started getting bad when he found out. Why hadn't they been this worse years ago? The only reason he could figure was that he hadn't noticed earlier, or that's when he thought. He was afraid of social rejection and his teammates dying. They were logical fears. He didn't want his friends to see him as weak when it came to missions. He could still handle himself; he did to a point back in the warehouse. If that guy hadn't kicked him like a dog he would've been able to handle the situation. Robin wouldn't have had to butt in if that guy hadn't taken the situation out of hand. This was his entire fault!

The bioship landed and the door opened in the back of the ship. One by one Wally's friends walked out of the ship. "You coming Wally?" M'gann asked.

Wally looked up. If he didn't leave she'd know something was wrong, but if he did then he could avoid his overprotective uncle. He sat up. "Yea I'm coming."

* * *

Wally walked into the debriefing room to see Batman and The Flash sitting down. He knew he was dead at that very moment. "Wally, can I speak to you for a minute?"

Wally shook his head. "I think Batman wants us to debrief the mission." Flash gave him a look. "I have to write the reports and explain that happened."

Batman glared at him. "I think that you can have your discussion outside while we wait."

Wally gulped. 'Damn you Batman! Why can't you make me do paperwork instead?' "Be right back guys!"

The speedsters walked into the hallway. The Flash looked around to make sure no one was listening in. "You ran out of school? DO you have any idea how mad your aunt is right now? She almost forced herself into mount. Justice! If it wasn't for Batman and some pretty convincing words she would be here right now lecturing you."

Wally rolled his eyes. "Instead of you lecturing me?"

"And why did you go on that mission?" His uncle continued ignoring Wally's comment. "You needed time to process this. You needed time to understand that everything is going to be fine. How could you run off like that and scare the crap out of the school? You're lucky no one caught you speeding out of their and exposed you as Kid Flash!"

Wally frowned. He didn't remember running out of the school that fast. He was pretty sure he was running at a regular speed. "I'm fine! Why can't you see that I'm completely fine and that crazy lady had it all wrong! You didn't even ask if it was some sort of cover I had made to protect my identity or something!" Wally screamed.

"Were you hiding your identity Wally?' The Flash asked.

"No, but that still doesn't mean anything! You didn't even ask me before you started yelling!" Wally yelled at him. "Since when have you even gotten into my school life anyway?"

Flash shook his head. "Since Miss Lewis asked to speak with me about you. I didn't just walk in at my convenience Wally. I was there because she was worried about you, and I happen to agree with her. I'm worried about you Wally. I truly am."

"I don't see why! I've been this way since the accident! I've been like this the whole time, and you didn't even notice till some guidance counselor says something!" Wally argued back. He didn't realize it till now, but ever since his accident he had felt different. He worried more and felt out of place.

Uncle Barry flinched. "And you didn't mention this before today?"

Wally glared. "Does this matter? Right now I have a responsibility to my team. So if you'll excuse me…" Wally said walking off.

Barry grabbed Wally's hand. "We're not done talking Wally! You can't keep running away from this."

"Who says I'm running from anything?"

"If you don't stop I'm taking you to Agent A!" The Flash threatened.

"You can't, you're not my father!" Wally screamed.

Barry stepped back shocked. As much as Wally felt like a son, The Flash still felt like he was one. Barry knew Wally had an amazing father that loved him, but he'd always felt like Wally thought of him as a second dad. It hurt when Wally said those words. "I know." He paused. "Bruce has informed Canary that you will be speaking with her after your debriefing. I know it's sudden, but I think it's the best for you."

Wally's face turned. "Fine! Have it your way!"

* * *

Entering the debriefing room was awkward for Wally. He was sure the whole team had heard his little outburst outside, and they knew exactly what his problems were. He was surprised to find everyone sitting in their seats playing with their phones. Batman sat in the head spot glaring at Robin's phone. After walking in, Batman declared they had to put their cell phones away.

"As it is clear to all of you, the mission had some issues. Aqualad, would you please explain to me what went wrong?" Batman said in his low voice.

Aqualad gave Wally a glance then went to look at Batman. "We split into two groups of three in the beginning sir. I was informed later that Robin's group separated moments after they entered the building."

Batman turned to Robin with a long look. "We entered the building and found three different hallways. I thought if we split up that we wouldn't waste any time. We agreed to keep contact on the mental link and split up."

Batman turned back to Aqualad. "Did you agree with this decision?'

Aqualad shook his head. "I was not contacted by the group, so I was not aware that this decision was made in the first place."

"Would you agree with the decision made?"

Again Aqualad shook his head. "I paired the group together because it was covert. We needed at least one person who had the ability to sneak around without being seen. Splitting up would ruin the entire purpose of that choice."

Robin glared at the atlantian. "We had to go through that warehouse as fast as we could! We didn't have the time to stay and search all the hallways together."

"I believe you would have Robin." Aqualad informed him. "Considering all the information we needed was on our side of the building."

"I beg to differ!" Artemis snapped. "We didn't know that at the time of the agreement, so it shouldn't count! We thought we would find something. Besides, how do you know that there wasn't something on our side? You didn't get a chance to search the place did you?"

"Actually we did." Superboy mumbled.

That silenced the group. "I still can't see where the mess up was." Batman told the group. "Wally, I haven't heard from you this whole time, what happened?"

Wally gulped. "I was ambushed by one of Joker's top henchmen. Had a lovely conversation about his time in Iraq, and his family." Wally grumbled.

"So you were ambushed, how did the others react to this?"

"I figured I got cut out of the mind link at some point, but I can't be sure why." Wally stumbled over his words.

Batman turned to M'gann. "I couldn't help it. His mind was filled in total chaos! The whole team couldn't function with all the noise." M'gann explained.

"I think I'm aware of what happened here." Batman mumbled. Wally forgot Uncle Barry told him about his little problem at school. "Wally would you care to step out?"

Wally blinked. He turned to see Black Canary stepped into the room and shut the door. 'Great time to go to therapy!' He sat up. "Ok."

* * *

Robin gave him a curious look. He figured the Boy Wonder was curious why Wally had left without a fight. Usually Wally hated being excluded from Team activities, but that was because that was all he had. He was pretty sure that his teammates were his only friends. But today he left without one word.

"Please sit Wally" Black Canary said sitting down into her plush green chair.

Wally sat. "How are you feeling Wally? I'm pretty sure you've done this before with me before, so you know where this is going."

Wally had done this before. He'd come in to talk with her when they had the team exercises. He had been eating popcorn and pretended it was all a joke, but this time wasn't a joke. This was the real thing.

"I'm really not that sure." He said honestly. "My uncle is acting overprotective like he always is, but I don't see the difference in myself. My uncle's tried to talk about it before debriefing, but it just ended in a fight. I think I hurt him a little."

"I'm sure you did, but it's not your fault. You've got to realize that you've just realized something about yourself you weren't aware of. You haven't had time to deal with the shock and fear. Wally, just because you've had this for a couple of years, doesn't mean it won't scare you. I'm pretty sure you're frustrated with yourself right now." Black Canary explained. "This is something you need to adjust to."

Wally nodded. "But I've had this forever, why is it spiking up now?"

Black Canary sighed. "You're under a lot of stress Wally. Regular teens don't have to worry about saving the world every day, but you do. Before when you were just working with your uncle Barry you only had him to worry about. Now with the team, you have at least five other people you have to look out for. Adding this to your everyday life can cause chaos. You have to balance your life for school life, social life, partner time with The Flash, training with the team, and then missions with the team. You have to work more than every other child in our school. Now that you've joined the team, you have more to worry about. "She placed her hand on his knee. "Wally, this will be a struggle, but you will learn to deal with it."

"I get that, but why did this happen in the first place? The Flash doesn't have to deal with this! Why does it always have to be me?" Wally complained.

"How do you know Barry doesn't have this problem as well?" Canary asked quietly. "He had the same accident as you did right? Have you asked him?"

"Well, no," Wally mumbled. "But, he hasn't brought it up before? Why wouldn't he mention this to me before?"

Black Canary laughed. "Did you?" Wally looked at the ground. "Didn't think so. Look Wally, not everybody likes to share much about themselves. You should understand considering you feel that way yourself. You can't always assume that everything is the way it looks. For all you know I could be some zombie ninja thing."

Wally gave her a weird look. "Are you?"

Canary laughed. "Wally, zombies don't exist."

"They can though!" Wally piped up. "If you're a cannibal and you eat too much human flesh than your mind goes all funky. You continue to eat human meat, even without thinking about it. Soon, when the food supply runs out, a ton of people will be eating each other. That's when everyone turns into zombies!"

Black Canary jaw fell. "And you know this how?'

"I watched a documentary on it. It seems like a logical explanation for it."

"Ok, back to you Wally." She said shaking her head. "Why don't you have any friends at school? Isn't there anyone who has something in common with you?'

Wally shook his head. "I can't stand those people! Who the heck thinks Africa is a country? I mean seriously, it's a continent! Plus, everyone else likes to hit me with dodge balls in P.E. I fell like a freaking target all the freaking time!"

"Wally, the world isn't out to get you. It isn't everyone's goal to make your life a living hell. I'm pretty sure they have more important thing to do then ruining your life. Trust me on that one." Black Canary said.

"No, I'm sure they have a check list." Wally muttered darkly. "Have I stolen lunch money? Yep! Have I done half of my homework? You bet! Have I made the teacher cry? Totally! Have I ruined Wally West's life yet? No, but I will soon!"

Canary looked at him. "I'm pretty sure most bullies don't have lists. From my understanding, they do things at random. They mostly attacking someone who is always alone or weak."

"So now I'm weak?"

"You're not weak Wally. You've never been weak. You were the person who is always alone. Wally, right now you're just struggling with day to day life. A lot of people have this problem. It isn't something only you have." Black Canary tried to explain.

"So I'm a freak? I might as well be a rouge!" Wally exclaimed loudly.

Canary waved her hands as if to surrender. "That's not it at all. Do you know how many people have this sort of problem? Some people just lay in bed all day they're so afraid! Do you do that Wally?" he shook his head. "Then stop complaining!" Wally bolted up and ran out the door. "You can't run forever!"

"I can try!"


End file.
